I love visiting adobes. I love poking around and learning the history and imagining myself living there when it was first built. It’s my “I was there and part of history” fantasy. Of course I wouldn’t trade my modern amenities for the rustic living they had to endure, but in my fantasy I can avoid the hardships and concentrate solely on the grandeur.
Sunday afternoon I ventured out in the 100 degree temperatures and ended up at the Catalina Verdugo Adobe. This adobe, at the base of the Verdugo Hills, was built in 1828 and is one of the oldest buildings in the City of Glendale, CA.
Surrounding the house is a 1.3 acre park with indigenous plants, statues, walking paths, and the historic “Oak of Peace.”
The “Oak of Peace” tree was named in 1847 and it’s at this spot that many believe is the birthplace of California. Sadly the tree died of natural causes in 1987, but the spot still contains remnants of the dead tree. It is here that Jesus Pico, representing Lieutenant Colonel Fremont and the United States, met with his brother, Commander of the Mexican army General Andres Pico, and recommended Mexico surrender to the United States. Two days later a peace treaty was signed, not at the “Oak of Peace” but in the area where the Hollywood Bowl now stands.
I walked the paths and pinged the bell and breathed in the surroundings. I learned a little history and can honestly say I'm now a bit smarter than I was on Saturday.
Knowledge is fun.
Sunday afternoon I ventured out in the 100 degree temperatures and ended up at the Catalina Verdugo Adobe. This adobe, at the base of the Verdugo Hills, was built in 1828 and is one of the oldest buildings in the City of Glendale, CA.
Surrounding the house is a 1.3 acre park with indigenous plants, statues, walking paths, and the historic “Oak of Peace.”
The “Oak of Peace” tree was named in 1847 and it’s at this spot that many believe is the birthplace of California. Sadly the tree died of natural causes in 1987, but the spot still contains remnants of the dead tree. It is here that Jesus Pico, representing Lieutenant Colonel Fremont and the United States, met with his brother, Commander of the Mexican army General Andres Pico, and recommended Mexico surrender to the United States. Two days later a peace treaty was signed, not at the “Oak of Peace” but in the area where the Hollywood Bowl now stands.
I walked the paths and pinged the bell and breathed in the surroundings. I learned a little history and can honestly say I'm now a bit smarter than I was on Saturday.
Knowledge is fun.
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